RedAnarchist
13th May 2005, 16:37
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4544599.stm
Soldiers have fired on a crowd of at least 2,000 protesters in the town of Andijan in eastern Uzbekistan.
At least one person has been killed, prompting scenes of mass panic as men, women and children fled more gunfire.
Troops sealed off Andijan after thousands of prisoners, including 23 men accused of Islamic extremism, were freed by armed men in a jailbreak.
A BBC correspondent in Uzbekistan says unrest in the city feeds off pent-up anger over poverty and unemployment.
Uzbek President Islam Karimov was said to be heading to Andijan, but has not appeared in the city.
The 23 accused of Islamic extremism were among up to 4,000 prisoners, including political prisoners and ordinary criminals, freed from jail overnight.
Prisoners poured out into the city, some of them carrying guns.
"The people have risen," AP news agency quoted Valijon Atakhonjonov, the brother of a defendant in the long-running trial.
Uzbek officials said nine people were killed and 34 injured during the night, in apparent clashes between protesters and security forces.
During Friday, several thousand protesters gathered in Andijan's main square and took over several buildings, calling for "justice" and "freedom".
But troops moved in late on Friday afternoon, opening fire and prompting the crowd to flee.
People were screaming, saying their prayers and calling for help, according to the BBC's Monica Whitlock, in Tashkent.
All foreign news broadcasts, including those of the BBC, have been blocked for domestic audiences.
In the capital Tashkent, 300 km away, a man was shot dead outside the Israeli embassy, upon suspicion he was a suicide bomber.
Our correspondent says the incident, while apparently unrelated to the protests, shows how tense the situation has become.
Andijan is one of the main cities in the most politically sensitive part of this country, our correspondent says.
It is the barometer of feeling for a long, densely populated valley called Ferghana with a long tradition of independent thought, and the authoritarian government in Tashkent has always eyed the valley with suspicion, she says.
The government has locked up probably thousands of local young men, many of them prominent members of the community, accusing them of Islamic extremism.
Neighbouring Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan have shut their borders with Uzbekistan. Protests in Kyrgyzstan in March resulted in the overthrow of its then President, Askar Akayev.
Soldiers have fired on a crowd of at least 2,000 protesters in the town of Andijan in eastern Uzbekistan.
At least one person has been killed, prompting scenes of mass panic as men, women and children fled more gunfire.
Troops sealed off Andijan after thousands of prisoners, including 23 men accused of Islamic extremism, were freed by armed men in a jailbreak.
A BBC correspondent in Uzbekistan says unrest in the city feeds off pent-up anger over poverty and unemployment.
Uzbek President Islam Karimov was said to be heading to Andijan, but has not appeared in the city.
The 23 accused of Islamic extremism were among up to 4,000 prisoners, including political prisoners and ordinary criminals, freed from jail overnight.
Prisoners poured out into the city, some of them carrying guns.
"The people have risen," AP news agency quoted Valijon Atakhonjonov, the brother of a defendant in the long-running trial.
Uzbek officials said nine people were killed and 34 injured during the night, in apparent clashes between protesters and security forces.
During Friday, several thousand protesters gathered in Andijan's main square and took over several buildings, calling for "justice" and "freedom".
But troops moved in late on Friday afternoon, opening fire and prompting the crowd to flee.
People were screaming, saying their prayers and calling for help, according to the BBC's Monica Whitlock, in Tashkent.
All foreign news broadcasts, including those of the BBC, have been blocked for domestic audiences.
In the capital Tashkent, 300 km away, a man was shot dead outside the Israeli embassy, upon suspicion he was a suicide bomber.
Our correspondent says the incident, while apparently unrelated to the protests, shows how tense the situation has become.
Andijan is one of the main cities in the most politically sensitive part of this country, our correspondent says.
It is the barometer of feeling for a long, densely populated valley called Ferghana with a long tradition of independent thought, and the authoritarian government in Tashkent has always eyed the valley with suspicion, she says.
The government has locked up probably thousands of local young men, many of them prominent members of the community, accusing them of Islamic extremism.
Neighbouring Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan have shut their borders with Uzbekistan. Protests in Kyrgyzstan in March resulted in the overthrow of its then President, Askar Akayev.